JERUSALEM (CWNews.com) - At an ecumenical meeting hosted by the Greek Orthodox Patriarch of Jerusalem on March 25, Pope John Paul II issued a vigorous new call for ecumenical cooperation.
"In the Holy Land, where Christians live side by side with the faithful of Judaism and of Islam, and where there are tensions and conflicts nearly every day, it is essential to overcome the scandalous impression caused by our dissension and our controversies," the Holy Father said.
Nearly 200 people were on hand for the meeting at which Patriarch Diodoros I and Pope John Paul served as chairmen. Also included were the Armenian Apostolic Patriarch Torkom II, and representatives of the Coptic and Syrian Orthodox churches.
Diodoros, despite his own illness, had provided the Pope with a warm welcome to the "throne room" of the Orthodox patriarchate. Speaking in Greek, with a translator rendering his words into English for the benefit of the audience, the patriarch said that the visit by John Paul was "without any doubt a historic event." Before beginning his formal response, the Pope said that he was "a great admirer of Greek culture and philosophy." But since English has become a common worldwide language, he continued with a smile, he would deliver his remarks in that tongue.
Mentioning the "historic encounter" between Pope Paul VI and the Orthodox Patriarch Athenagoras in January 1964, the Pontiff said that a "new ear of contacts between our churches" had been born on that day. And in the intervening years, he added, "we have learned that the path toward unity is a difficult one." But Christians must not be discouraged by that fact, he said with emphasis. "We must be patient and persevering, and continue to advance without wavering."
"Fraternal cooperation" among the Christian churches is particularly important in Jerusalem, the Pope said, because only through such cooperation can the Christian minority face the "practical difficulties" of life in a city that is now fractured by controversies-- especially by the conflicts between the Israeli government and Palestinians.
The Pope spoke of Christian unity with special insistence after his visit to the Garden of Gethesemane, where he had made that topic the subject of a particularly intense private prayer session. He mentioned that it was in that garden, prior to his arrest, that Christ prayed, "that they all may be one." Although the ecumenical encounter ended on a cordial note, there were a few minor signs of discord:
1) The apostolic nuncio in the Holy Land, Archbishop Pietro Sambi, had suggested that the various religious leaders close their gathering by praying the Lord's Prayer, each in his own language. But when the time came for that final prayer, only the Latin ("Pater Noster") could be heard; the other religious leaders had apparently considered the suggestion inappropriate.
2) The meeting was delayed for an hour, at the request of Israeli security officials, so that it would not impinge on the observance of the Jewish sabbath in the Old City, where the Orthodox patriarchate is located.
Catholic World News Service - Vatican Update